Woman Who Stole From Spice Girl Held

A schizophrenic woman who stole mail from the home of soccer star David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria Beckham was ordered Monday to be detained indefinitely in a psychiatric hospital. Chinyelu Mary Obue pleaded guilty in November to stealing mail last July from the married couple’s home in Alderley Edge, northwestern England.

Obue, 38, took a taxi 230 miles from her home in Edinburgh, Scotland to the luxury apartment building where the Beckhams live. She took 13 pieces of mail addressed to the couple from the building’s communal hallway.

The taxi driver grew suspicious and drove to a nearby gas station and called police.

Obue had previously been warned by police for sending love letters and photographs to Beckham, who plays for Manchester United and England.

Judge Merfyn Hughes told Obue she represented “a very substantial risk of serious personal injury, not only to Mr. Beckham and his family, but also to the public at large.”

Hughes said Obue had probably been carrying a knife on the night of the theft, and her purpose was “to confront David Beckham and his family and enter into his home.”